I am an evil giraffe. But I'm trying, Nick. I'm trying REAL HARD to be the wizard.

I was lucky enough to make it to the DC School Choice Rally (sponsored by DC Children First and DC Parents for School Choice) today, thanks to a (liberal) friend of mine who was able to watch my son for a few hours – and who didn’t mind being asked for a favor like this on very short notice. Then again, she and her husband moved to their current address at least partly to make sure that their kids wouldn’t be stuck in a horrible public school. I understand that sentiment entirely: my wife and I made similar calculations.

The Weekly Standard, Heritage, and the Corner all have some good coverage on the rally (see also Instapundit), so I’m mostly going to just step back and let the videos of Virginia Walden Ford (executive director of DC Parents for School Choice) and the photos speak for themselves. I will note this, though: this “compromise” that the administration is currently offering is nothing but. It’s an attempt to get the heat off of both it and the teachers’ unions that are trying to gut school choice. By keeping the existing program running long enough to finish out the current scholarship roster, the White House hopes to take the personal urgency off of the grassroot activists that are currently raising a stink.

And the grassroots activists know this.

Interview with Virginia Walden Ford

The poor woman had to do the above interview twice: I mucked up the recording on the first one.